Sweet whey targets ‘scaly skin community’

PL Thomas has launched a whey-based ingredient clinically proven to benefit psoriasis sufferers, although its marketing will feature a broader skin health sell that doesn’t venture into the territory of disease reduction.

The premium ingredient, called Skingest PSOR, and sourced from Canadian science and technology firm, Advitech, is derived from sweet whey and will be showcased at the Expo West trade show in California next month.

Through the efforts of Advitech, Skingest already features in select dietary supplements in Canada, the US and Europe, said PL Thomas president, Paul Flowerman, but will now receive added backing from the New Jersey-based supplier.

No deals with supplements manufacturers have as yet been inked.

Skin health v psoriasis

Flowerman was careful to point out that despite the presence of two peer-reviewed, clinical trials supporting the ingredient’s ability to benefit the skin disorder that is psoriasis, marketing could not go down this route.

“It is not a drug and cannot therefore make any disease reduction claims but we will be publicizing these clinical trials, as well as public demonstrations to make it known to the scaly skin community,” Flowerman told NutraIngredients-USA.com.

“We realize you have to be extremely careful about what you can say about these kinds of products. There are strict limits and we rigorously adhere to those limits.”

It is estimated 4.5 Million Americans suffer from psoriasis with 150,000 to 260,000 new cases every year. The condition affects both sexes and people of all ages.

A recommended dose of 400mg twice per day has been shown to positively effect skin health if taken for approximately eight weeks.

Flowerman said there were other products on the market that could relieve psoriasis such as vitamin D, curcumin gel and aloe vera, but none of them had the clinical backing of SkinGest.

In the clinical trials, Life Quality Index score and PASI (a severity index of skin irritation) both reduced psoriasis-derived itching.

PL Thomas may employ other ingredients from Advitech’s portfolio, as well as other innovations, the companies said in a previous release.